Weekly dengue fever cases drop below 1,000 in Taiwan: CDC

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) Taiwan has reported less than 1,000 dengue fever cases in the past week, indicating that the epidemic is alleviating, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

CDC Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said in a weekly press briefing that several areas in Tainan and Yunlin County had been removed from the list of hotspot transmission areas, and that the situation in Kaohsiung had also become less severe.

With the removal of Tainan and Gukeng Township in Yunlin from the hotspot list, there is nowhere in the country currently identified as a dengue fever transmission hotspot, indicating the epidemic had entered its final phase, Lo said.

Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳), deputy director of the Central Epidemic Command Center, meanwhile, said that the 759 domestic cases reported between Nov. 21-27 spread in 14 counties and cities across Taiwan, mostly in the southern counties of Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.

Four deaths and seven severe cases were recorded during that week, Lee said.

According to Lee, a total of 380 cases were recorded in Tainan, with the majority of infections identified in the city's east, north and Yong Kang districts, Lee said, adding that there is still an outbreak risk in those areas.

Meanwhile, 304 cases were reported in Kaohsiung, with the majority occurring in the Sanmin, Fongshan and Lingya districts, Lee said.

So far this year, Taiwan has logged 25,047 local dengue fever cases and 56 deaths, which marks the country's worst outbreak since 2015, when there were more than 43,000 cases and 228 deaths.

According to the World Health Organization, most people who contract dengue fever do not develop symptoms. For those who do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headaches, body aches, nausea and a rash, which typically clear up within 1-2 weeks.

A small number of those infected develop severe dengue fever, which requires hospitalization and can be fatal.